Arjun Kapoor Is Busy Enjoying This Dish To Beat The Monday Blues

There's nothing like a steaming hot plate of momos, dipped in spicy red chutney to begin the week with. Momos have become the comfort food of many foodies since years, now. Whatever be the season - summer, winter or fall - momos are relished in India with a lot of joy. The many varieties of this delicacy ensures that there's a type of momo for every individual. From curried momos to steamed ones, foodies love to try out new versions of the humble dumpling. Everyone has a favourite memory associated with this dish and perhaps that is why it has gained so much popularity, because people associate eating this street food with gratification.

Credit: Arjun Kapoor's Instagram.

Arjun also shared a photo of French toasts to his Instagram story, tagging Chef Akshay Arora. The golden brown french toasts looked delicious and Arjun tagged Nainital as the location where he relished this dish. The song ande ka phanda played in the video and Arjun consumed the French toasts while having an early breakfast at the hill station. Arjun loves to eat food cooked especially for him, by Chef Akshay as the star keeps sharing photos of the food to his Instagram story. Not just early breakfast, Chef Akshay often cooks mid-night binges for Arjun, which includes dishes like Avocado Chicken Toast, Chocolate Brownie Fudge and much more. 

If reading up on Arjun Kapoor's momo binge has got you craving for momos, here's a recipe of Tandoori momos by Chef Kunal Kapur: 

For the dough:

1. 1 cup Flour (maida)
2. a generous pinch Salt
3. 1½ tbsp Oil
4. 100ml (½ cup approx) Warm Water

Filling: 

1. 3tbsp Oil
2. 1tbsp Garlic chopped
3. 1tbsp Ginger chopped
4. 2tsp Green chilli chopped
5. ¼ cup Onion chopped
6. ½ cup Carrots chopped
7. ½ cup Cabbage Chopped
8. ¼ cup Mushrooms chopped
9. ½ cup Paneer mashed
10. Salt
11. Pepper powder
12. 2½ tbsp Soya sauce (light) 
13. ½ cup Spring onion chopped
14. 1tbsp Corn starch
15. Coriander chopped
16. Spring Onions Chopped
17. Oil

For smoking the dish:

1. 1no Cinnamon stick
2. 1tsp Desi Ghee

Tandoori masala:

1. 5 tbsp Mustard Oil
2. 1½ tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
3. 1 no Lemon
4. ½ tbsp Garlic paste
5. ½ tbsp Ginger paste
6. ½ tsp Kastoori methi powder
7. ½ cup Hung curd
8. Salt

For the finishing of the dish:

1. 2tbsp Butter (melted) 
2. A generous pinch of Chaat masala
3. 2tbsp Lemon juice

Method: 

For the dough:

1. Mix together flour, salt, oil and warm water. Mix and knead into a soft firm dough. Now knead the dough for the cover and let it rest for at least 20 min.

For filling: 

1. Heat oil in a pan and saute together garlic, ginger, green chillies for a minute. Add in the onions and saute them. Take the heat to high and add carrots cabbage, mushroom, paneer, salt, pepper powder and toss them together for 3mins.
2. Pour in the soy sauce and mix it, and on the side mix together cornstarch with a dash of water. Sprinkle this over the mixture and immediately mix it. Once the mixture thickens and binds together, remove from heat and sprinkle on top chopped coriander and spring onions. Remove to a platter and let it cool completely.

For tandoori marination:

1. Whisk together mustard oil and kashmiri chilli powder. Add in lemon juice, garlic paste, ginger paste, kastoori methi powder, hung curd and salt. Whisk together and keep aside. Burn a stick of cinnamon over live flame of gas stove and place it in a small bowl. Place this bowl inside the marination and pour ghee over the burning/smouldering cinnamon stick. Cover the bowl holding the marination so that the smoke from the cinnamon engulfs the entire marination.
2. Keep aside for 10mins, post that remove the cinnamon and mix the marination. Now the marinade has a smoky flavour.

For shaping momos:

1. To fill momos, roll the dough into cylinder shape and cut the cylinder shape into smaller and equal pieces. Dust the working surface with some flour. Roll the dough gently into a thin circle. Roll the edges thinner than the center.
2. Put the filling in the center and touch the edges with water using your fingers.
3. Lift the dough from one end between your thumb and index finger and pinch them so that they stick together, from here make a pleat and pinch it together. Repeat till all of the dough is sealed. Repeat the same with the rest of the dough.

For cooking momos:

1. Heat oil in a deep vessel to medium high heat. Add shaped momos to the oil and cook them till about half cooked. Remove to a kitchen towel and let it cool completely. Now add the cooled momos to the marinade and make sure to rub it all throughout.
2. Place the marinated dumplings on to a grill and hover the grill over a live flame on top of a gas stove. Once it gets colour turn it over using tongs and cook from the other side.
3. Remove to a platter, sprinkle chaat masala and squeeze some lemon. Serve the momos hot.